[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: District 281 Referendum 2008

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
District 281 Referendum 2008
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1213374723.shtml


   It's not official yet, pending formal approval at the June 16th School
   Board meeting, but the [1]Sun Post reports that:

     Robbinsdale District 281 will seek more money from voters this fall
     for the second time in two years, the School Board decided at a
     work session Monday.
     The board's unanimous decision for a referendum vote Nov. 4
     followed a presentation by Unite 281, a committee of parents who
     have collected 1,000 signatures from people supporting another
     chance to vote on a school referendum.
     District 281 voters rejected a $9.7 million referendum last
     November. The district had earlier reduced its 2007-08 budget by
     $4.5 million. Because of the referendum defeat, officials had to
     cut $5.4 million from its 2008-09 budget and is looking at another
     $6 million in reductions for 2009-10.

   I was at this meeting, and the Sun Post article is an excellent
   summation. I'd like to focus on two specific points made, again
   quoting Sue Webber's coverage.

     "Unless the community sees change there, we may very well have the
     same [referendum] outcome," said Lynne Osterman, a committee member
     and former state lawmaker from New Hope. "We can't trot out the
     same horse [in this fall's election]. Something has to change."

   This seems obvious, but it's no guarantee of success as the Brooklyn
   Center District (286) has repeatedly found this decade. They've tried
   different dates, different amounts, and different messages, 0 for 5
   the past three years. They will try again in September or November,
   but they're still basically trying to undo a misconception from the
   large bond referendum that rebuilt its Earle Brown Elementary in 2001.
   Small changes won't work here either, especially given gas prices and
   the real estate market. I think everyone involved understands this,
   but what needs to change? In my humble opinion, treating the voters
   like adults would be an excellent start. "Be a Hero!" slogans are no
   substitute for relevant facts, for example.

     Ron Stoffel of Crystal, who headed the committee that opposed last
     year's referendum, said [... that the] large dollar amount of last
     year's referendum and the 10-year time frame also were factors in
     its defeat.

   More specifically, Mr. Stoffel urged 4-5 year initiatives at most,
   given the near impossibility of predicting 10 years out. I think he's
   right, especially if this does away with overlapping operating levies.
   Ideally, we'd simply set the total levy once a year like the city and
   county do, but under current law, an operating referendum every four
   years seems workable. To make that workable requires reliable budget
   forecasts and understandable presentations of those budgets to the
   voters.

References

   1. http://mnsun.com/articles/2008/06/13/news/rs19referendum.txt